History

Are Mexicans descendants of the Aztecs?

The Aztec civilization was based in central America, and Mexico City used to be Tenochtitlan, so are they the ancestors of modern day Mexico?---XBL Gamertag: oPUNCHDRUNKoIt's not a matter of luck,It's just a matter of time

#2SawolPosted 8/10/2012 12:13:05 AM(edited)

I'm sure someone will swoop in to bash me on the head if I'm wrong, but if I recall correctly, Aztecs (or Mexica) were just one tribe of many in what's today called Mexico.

Many Mexicans are mestizos, meaning they're mixed. A lot of people in Mexico are descendants of Aztecs and many other tribes, such as Mayans in Mexico's southern states.

From personal experience I know quite a few Mexicans who still do use traditionally Mexica names, or other Nahuatl names. A friend of mine's wife is named Xˇchitl, which is a Spanish transliteration of a native name. I don't know if she's literally related to pre-Columbian tribes however.

So, yes, *some* Mexicans at least are descended from Aztecs---So I did what any man would do. I faked my way into a job as a Spanish teacher at a community college relying on phrases from Sesame Street. - Senor Chang

#3Miroku_of_Nite1Posted 8/10/2012 8:04:34 AM

There are some. Just as there are still 'pure' Spanish people in Mexico.---http://i.imgur.com/w3fcH.jpghttp://img71.imageshack.us/img71/1307/miroku.png

#4executor elderPosted 8/10/2012 9:11:32 PM

Truth be told, due to disease and the awful working conditions for slaves, the original native population was nearly wiped out (or at the very least decimated) within the first few centuries after Spanish conquest.---"Right, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must." - Thucydides

#5IvashankoPosted 8/11/2012 6:44:15 AM

2/5ths of all Mexicans are not related at all to Europeans, if I recall correctly. The mass majority of the 3/5ths left are hybrids. Very few are soley decendents of Europeans.

#6sfcalimariPosted 8/11/2012 9:16:21 PM

Some people still speak Nahuatl. And in Southern Mexico and Guatamala a lot of people are descended pretty directly from the Mayans. You can kinda tell when you see a 30 year old guy who is like 4 feet tall with a broad nose and dark skin.---Every night I come to the same place and wait til the sky catches up with my mood.

#7SSj4WingzeroPosted 8/12/2012 9:17:26 PM

Yes, the bulk of Mexicans have at least some Native American blood in them. Maybe not necessarily Aztec, but one also has to remember that the Aztecs were just one tribe in the area...the most hated and most powerful one, that is.---Not changing this sig until the Knicks win an NBA Championship! Started 4/3/2011